Conan the conqueror (1967)

Yes, it's that Conan--the one that inspired the Schwarzenegger film, Conan the Barbarian. The best way to give you a flavor of the stories and the character is to quote you a bit that appears above the first story published and familiar from the film:

Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars... Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."--The Nemedian Chronicles.

The character was established in 17, mostly short, stories by Robert E. Howard published in Weird Tales from 1932 to 1936. Only one, the one in this book, was novel-length, originally published as The Hour of the Dragon. This is numbered 9 in the series edited by L. Sprague de Camp that put the shorter stories in chronological order, finished fragments of stories left after Howard's death, and filled in the gaps with stories by other writers. I own and have read only the first book in the series before this one, but I didn't feel lost.

Indeed, I think because Conan is not a character noted for character development. Howard himself according to the introduction said he liked characters like Conan because they're "simpler... They are too stupid to do anything but cut, shoot, or slug themselves into the clear." And in this novel, at least once that proclivity is exactly what gets him into trouble. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer this Conan. It's something I didn't like about the character in the first book of stories, but hoped that might change, especially since by this installment he's a King. But no, in this tale after losing his kingdom he's still going solo and refusing help. He's no leader in the mold of such fictional heroes as Horatio Hornblower or Jack Aubrey--or even Moon's Paksenarrion or Tolkien's Aragorn. He's no leader at all. Just hack and slash. These novels remind me of nothing so much as video games.

On the other hand, like video games it can be mindless fun. Howard's style is colorful, but not so purple as to be jarring. I rather like the tantalizing hints of a world derived from out of our far past. I don't regret reading this certainly, but I can't imagine I'll be seeking out more of Howard's Conan. ( )

An outline of the plot would read like a laundry list of the worst fantasy/adventure cliches, but it's fun anyway. The writing is a mix of efficient storytelling and extremely corny language, which is perfect for the story. But most importantly, Conan is the baddest badass of an antihero you could hope for. ( )

I just finished one of the most entertaining books of the year. A dethroned king, epic sword battles, dark magic, man-eating apes, pirates, pagans, giant free-roaming snakes, vampires, mummies and women! Did I mention the barbarian? Yes, it's a Conan tale.
It's my husband's fault, really. He took into account my recent predilection for pulp novels and my current attempt at penning a sword-and-sorcery tale for NaNoWriMo and gently suggested that I might try a Conan tale. I had a hard time getting past my remembrances of the '80s films but it just so happened that our library carried an audiobook version that I could listen to in the car. Since it was his idea, I made my husband listen to it with me. What a time we had!
Todd McLaren, the reader, has made a fan out of me. I was astonished at the cast of voices he can do. He really made it come alive with his excitement, inflection and tone. Is that what gathering around the radio for Zorro and The Shadow was like? I never understood the nostalgia before, but now I do.
The material itself was fantastic pulp writing. The character of Conan is so interesting, at times regal and eloquent and then suddenly socially awkward. My interest in the story only weakened in one spot towards the end, when he shifted away from Conan's point-of-view and labored on ad infinum about the geography for the last battle. All-in-all, I am impressed with Howard and I am duly chastised for judging his works by their Schwarzenegger-knockoff-in-a-loincloth covers. ( )

This authorized Book Club Edition edited by Karl Edward Wagner is schweet! Included are quite a few extras—a couple of illustrations, tidbits from Howard's personal letters, editorial digressions on the mysterious chapter 20, et cetera...

At the start of Howard's only Conan novel, I became a bit distraught. I thought, "My God, why am I reading this?" Within a few pages things really took off and I was entrenched.

Scattered throughout are several brilliant little one or two sentence epiphanies of Conan's (this novel denoted the end of the middle-aged barbarian's known career). Upon discovering them, you think to yourself, "Wow, that is truly an exquisite example of simply stunning prose".

The story is character rich and keeps you guessing (despite the canabilization of previous Conan stories of Howard's). I was quite pleased at the appearance of vampire Princess Akivasha.

The chapters in which massive war scenes are described reminded me quite a bit of Josephus, Tacitus, Lord of the Rings.... My favorite chapters however were those in which Conan was alone, in a dark dungeon, with his own thoughts and his blade. Lovely and nostalgic. ( )

Original REH stories, edited by Karl Wagner. 1 of 3 Berkley collections of original Conan stories.